IS EMMA RADUCANU’S "NIGHT OWL" TRAINING SCHEDULE THE SECRET TO HER MELBOURNE SUCCESS?
Emma Raducanu overcame a slow start and a midnight schedule to reach the second round. Is she ready for a Sabalenka showdown?
Sixteen minutes into her first match at Melbourne Park, Emma Raducanu looked lost. Down 1-3, 15-40, she couldn’t find her footing. Across the net, her opponent—a newcomer most people hadn’t even heard of—was playing out of her mind. It was the kind of moment that could send a player spiralling: panic, errors, the whole thing falling apart.
But Raducanu stayed calm. She shook off the rough start, found her game, and cruised into the second round of the Australian Open, beating Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1.
The circumstances weren’t easy. It was late at night, the opponent was hot, and the pressure was on. Still, Raducanu handled it all and walked off with a win that should give her a much-needed shot of confidence after a rocky off-season.
“I feel very happy to have gotten through the match,” she said afterwards. “From the beginning, she was playing so well. All her shots were landing right on the baseline—really tough. I’m proud of how I fought back.”
Raducanu didn’t have much time to settle in. She played in Hobart on Thursday night, her flight to Melbourne was delayed, and she ended up with just one day to adjust and practice before stepping on court. She also had to deal with a late-night slot—her only practice session at Melbourne Park ran from 9:15 to 11 p.m. “I’m a night owl, but not for playing. That’s for ‘Emma time’,” she joked.
She’s been trying to train herself to handle these late matches. “Half the battle is just figuring out how to arrange the day—when to switch on, when to switch off. I’ve tried a few things. Today, I actually felt really good before the match, and it helped that the match before mine didn’t run too long. I didn’t end up on court too late.”
Sawangkaew, also 23 and making her first appearance in a Grand Slam main draw, was the real reason Raducanu struggled early. Sawangkaew’s ranking—196—doesn’t show her true level. She’d been climbing the ranks until an injury put her out for six months last season, just after she cracked the top 100.
She came out swinging, using her heavy topspin forehand to push Raducanu back, rushing the net, and forcing errors with sharp defence. “Honestly, I didn’t feel like I was doing much wrong,” Raducanu admitted.
Still, her serve was off, and her forehand wasn’t clicking. She went down two breaks and seemed in trouble, but suddenly, everything started to work. Her serve came alive at the right moments, and her forehand started to land. Once she found her groove, she ran away with it.
“Today, I felt like I had better control over all my shots than I have in the last few weeks,” she said. “And honestly, all the matches and points I played recently, even the tough ones, helped me today. If I hadn’t played those three matches, I’m not sure I’d have gotten through this one. I’m glad I put myself in those situations.”
Next up, things get tougher. She’ll face Anastasia Potapova, a 24-year-old who switched to playing for Austria this year. Potapova is ranked 55 now, but has been as high as 21 and was once the top junior in the world. If Raducanu wins, she might face No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round—which should give a real sense of where her game stands.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, started her own tournament with an easy win Sunday night, taking out French wildcard Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-4, 6-1. Sabalenka’s been in the last three Melbourne finals, winning two. She’s still the favourite.
With Roger Federer watching from the stands, Sabalenka kept pushing her game forward—she came to the net 22 times. “I’ve been working on serve and volley,” she said. “It’s one thing to do it in practice, but to do it in a match, to be fearless and just go for it, that’s something else. I’m really proud I could show that tennis.”
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
